Measuring Spatial Accessibility of Healthcare Facilities in Marinduque, Philippines

Abstract

Sustainable development goal (SDG) 3 promotes well-being and healthy lives for people of all ages. However, based on the literature, one of the main challenges to achieving SDG 3 is inequality in access to health care. In order to support the efforts of the local government of the province to contribute to the achievement of SDG thru equitable access to health care, this study measured the spatial accessibility of healthcare facilities in Marinduque, Philippines. It used distance-based (i.e., travel-time) and area-based (i.e., enhanced two-step floating catchment analysis or E2SFCA) metrics. The distance from each healthcare facility to different villages in the province was established using QGIS and Google Maps. The distance traveled was measured using three (3) modes of transportation: tricycle, jeepney, and private vehicle. The E2SFCA scores were calculated for different population groups: the general population, women, children, and the elderly. Based on the results, island villages and those areas in the inner portion of the province lack physical access to healthcare facilities. Such a limitation was apparent in the distance- and area-based accessibility metrics. Among the population group considered in this study, the women population showed the lowest accessibility scores.